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David Scondras

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David Scondras
Scondras (ca.1984–1987)
Member of the Boston City Council for District 8
In office
1984–1993
Preceded byDistrict created
Succeeded byThomas M. Keane Jr.
Personal details
Born(1946-01-05)January 5, 1946
Lowell, Massachusetts, U.S.
DiedOctober 21, 2020(2020-10-21) (aged 74)
Political partyDemocratic
Other political
affiliations		Democratic Socialists of America
SpouseRobert Krebs
ResidenceCambridge, Massachusetts
Alma mater

David Scondras (January 5, 1946 – October 21, 2020) was a member of the Boston City Council, having held the District 8 seat from 1984 through 1993. He was the city's first openly gay city council member.

Early life

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Scondras was born in 1946 in Lowell, Massachusetts,[1] and graduated from Lowell High School.[2] He received a bachelor's degree in mathematics from Harvard College in 1968 and later earned and a master's degree in economics from Northeastern University, where he taught mathematics and economics.[3][4]

Community activism

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In 1968, Scondras moved to Fenway–Kenmore, where he worked at a neighborhood service center for the elderly.[3] In 1971 he and Northeastern University graduate nursing student Linda Beane co-founded the Fenway Community Health Center.[5] Scondras also co-founded the Symphony Tenants Organizing Project, a neighborhood advocacy group. After a deadly fire in 1976, the group began an investigation into arsons in the Symphony Road area that led to the conviction of 33 persons as part of an arson-for-profit ring.[6][7] He later organized the Committee to Save Boston following the 1982 Boston arson spree.[8] In 1972, he was part of a lawsuit that blocked urban redevelopment in the Fenway and created a precedent requiring environmental impact statements for large urban renewal projects.[3] He also lobbied for the creation of the Boston Housing Court and in 1974 chaired a citizen's advisory committee to screen candidates for a judgeship on the court.[3][9]

Political career

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Scondras ran unsuccessfully for City Council in 1981, the last election when all seats were at-large.[10] He ran successfully in November 1983, winning the seat for District 8 (Back Bay, Beacon Hill, Mission Hill, and Fenway–Kenmore) and becoming the first openly gay Boston City Council member.[11][12] He was one of a few members of the Democratic Socialists of America to be elected to public office.[13]

In 1984, Scondras was the chief sponsor of the ordinance that created Boston's human rights commission.[14] In 1985, he spoke out in support of David Jean and Donald Babets, whose foster children were taken from them because they were gay.[15] In 1993 he sponsored the Family Protection Act, which allowed same-sex couples that shared basic living expenses to register as domestic partners and receive health insurance benefits and hospital visitation and bereavement rights given to heterosexual spouses.[16]

He was re-elected to four two-year terms, before being defeated in the November 1993 election by Thomas M. Keane Jr. by just 27 votes (3,649–3,622).[17][18] Leading up to that election, a tape of rambling, slurred calls Scondras made to 9-1-1 was leaked to WHDH radio host Howie Carr. Scondras stated he had been taking codeine for a broken leg when he made the calls.[19][20][21] He failed to receive the endorsement of Boston's LGBT-oriented newspaper, Bay Windows, who wrote that he was "out of step with the changing gay community."[22]

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In 1988, Scondras, Chicago alderman Helen Shiller, and three others were arrested in Chicago during a protest against the city's policies on the homeless.[23]

In 1996, Scondras was charged with indecent sexual assault after he allegedly groped a 16-year-old boy in a Back Bay movie theater. Scondras was beaten by the youth and suffered a broken nose, jaw, and lost three teeth.[24][25] The charges were dropped later that year because the alleged victim refused to testify.[26][27]

In 2007, Scondras pleaded guilty to child enticement, stemming from a 2006 event in Lawrence, Massachusetts.[28][29] He was sentenced to 18 months’ probation, ordered to surrender his computer and register as a sex offender, and stay off the Internet and away from children younger than 16.[30] Scondras later sued the city of Lawrence, charging them with cruel and unusual punishment and assault and battery.[31] In his autobiography, Scondras characterized the event as "being beaten and arrested for not having sex with a boy who did not exist."[32] His lawsuit was dismissed in 2011 because it lacked sufficient evidence.[33]

Later life

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After leaving the city council, Scondras moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts, where he ran an HIV/AIDS nonprofit and was active with a neighborhood advocacy group.[34] He was the author of a four-book autobiography titled Angels, Liars, and Thieves, released from 2015 through 2017. Scondras died in October 2020.[27]

Works

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  • Scondras, David (2015). The Beginning: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1522927327.
  • Scondras, David (2016). The Kiss: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 2. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1543089905.
  • Scondras, David (2016). The Coup: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 3. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1543092721.
  • Scondras, David (2017). The Long Way Home: Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 4. CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform. ISBN 978-1544927657.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.12
  2. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.6
  3. ^ a b c d Ashbrook, Tom (October 21, 1986). "Scondras for Neighborhood Preservation". The Boston Globe.
  4. ^ "Short Circuits". The Boston Globe. December 24, 1989.
  5. ^ Batza, Katie (2020). Bell, Jonathan (ed.). "A Clinic Comes Out". Beyond the Politics of the Closet. ISBN 978-0-8122-9672-3. Retrieved 13 August 2023.
  6. ^ Canavan, Jack (October 1, 1978). "How One". The Boston Globe.
  7. ^ "Candidates for the City Council; David Scondras". The Boston Globe. September 16, 1981.
  8. ^ Ball, Joanne (October 17, 1982). "Attack launched on Hub arson". The Boston Globe.
  9. ^ Martin, Richard (October 28, 1974). "Daher sworn as second housing court judge". The Boston Globe.
  10. ^ "4 NEW MEMBERS ON COUNCIL". The Boston Globe. November 4, 1981. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  11. ^ "A LOOK AT THE BOSTON CITY COUNCIL; DAVID SCONDRAS". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1983. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  12. ^ Krone, Mark (October 10, 2013). "Boston Mayor's Race: Then and Now". bostonspiritmagazine.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
  13. ^ Democratic Left, vol. 8 no. 1 (January 1990), page 7.
  14. ^ Goldsmith, Larry (July 7, 1984). "Boston Council Approves Rights Bill; Nearly Unanimous Vote a Pleasant Surprise". Gay Community News.
  15. ^ Briggs, Laura (2012). Somebody's children : the politics of transracial and transnational adoption. Durham: Duke University Press. p. 247. ISBN 978-0-8223-5147-4. OCLC 748287033.
  16. ^ Sciacca, Joe (January 28, 1993). "Council redefines family Act extends city benefits to partners". Boston Herald.
  17. ^ "Council winner declared today". The Boston Globe. November 17, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  18. ^ "Scondras concedes; will form think tank". The Boston Globe. November 23, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  19. ^ Walker, Adrian (April 23, 1993). "Fenway residents stand by Scondras: But explanation of his actions sought". The Boston Globe. p. 26. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  20. ^ Canellos, Peter S. (October 15, 1993). "Tape of Scondras' calls to 911 line is leaked; police order an inquiry". The Boston Globe.
  21. ^ Canellos, Peter S. (April 25, 1993). "Scondras places self under scrutiny". The Boston Globe. p. 29. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  22. ^ "Gay weekly refuses to endorse Scondras Says councilor 'out of step' with constituents". The Boston Globe. October 28, 1993. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via pqarchiver.com.
  23. ^ "Alderman arrested at homeless site". The Times. Munster, Indiana. AP. October 15, 1988. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  24. ^ Chacon, Richard (October 26, 1996). "Charged with sex assault, Scondras criticizes police". The Boston Globe.
  25. ^ Anand, Geeta; Ellement, John (August 28, 1996). "Scondras a victim of gay-bashing, friend says: Former city councilor to file countercharge". The Boston Globe. p. 25. Retrieved October 30, 2020 – via newspapers.com.
  26. ^ Mulvihill, Maggie (December 7, 1996). "Sexual assault charge dropped against Scondras". Boston Herald.
  27. ^ a b Fox, Jeremy C. (October 29, 2020). "Former Boston city councilor David Scondras dies at 74". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on October 30, 2020. Retrieved October 30, 2020.
  28. ^ "Former Boston City Councilor Pleads Guilty To Child Enticement". mass.gov (Press release). August 21, 2007. Archived from the original on March 18, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  29. ^ "Ex-councilman pleads guilty to teen-sex charge". The News-Press. Fort Myers, Florida. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018 – via newspapers.com.
  30. ^ "Ex-Hub city councilor Scondras must register as sex offender". Boston Herald. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on March 4, 2018. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  31. ^ "David Scondras charges police brutality in lawsuit over 2006 teen-sex arrest". universalhub.com. October 3, 2009. Archived from the original on February 26, 2018. Retrieved February 25, 2018.
  32. ^ Angels, Liars, and Thieves, Book 1 p.5
  33. ^ Harmacinski, Jill (March 19, 2011). "Two Lawrence police brutality cases tossed". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved March 4, 2018.
  34. ^ Ballou, Brian R.; Levenson, Michael (October 11, 2006). "Former city councilor is arrested on sex charge". The Boston Globe.
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